Cold was a contributing factor in the separate heart disease deaths of two women whose bodies were discovered in Bergen County after a massive blizzard slammed the region, officials said Tuesday. Watch video
BERGEN COUNTY -- Cold was a contributing factor in the separate heart disease deaths of two women whose bodies were discovered in Bergen County after a massive blizzard slammed the region, officials said Tuesday.
Frances McQuaige, 78, of Medford, New York, and Mary Wall, 64, of Mahwah, each died of coronary artery disease, said Bergen County spokesman Michael Pagan, citing a medical examiner's findings.
McQuaige told an employee at a Hackensack Burger King that she didn't want to drive in the snow Saturday night, city police said. On Monday morning, workers discovered her dead in her snow-covered Cadillac parked at the restaurant's lot on Hackensack Avenue.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of Mrs. McQuaige," the fast food chain said in a statement.
The company did not respond to a message seeking further information. Employees at the franchise declined comment.
In Mahwah, several children found Wall's body outside her Sunnyside Road home around 3:30 p.m., also on Monday, township police previously said.
Wall apparently suffered a medical emergency while shoveling snow, according to Mahwah police Sgt. Michael Blondin.
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